Beth pov The first contraction hit just as Sophia's wards screamed a warning. I felt both sensations slice through me - the natural pain of labor and the supernatural alert of danger - at exactly the same moment. "Hunters," Sarah gasped from her position by the window, her gift flaring. "They fo
Beth pov The chaos had finally settled, leaving peaceful moonlight streaming through the windows of our house's master bedroom. I reclined against a mountain of pillows, my newborn daughter cradled in one arm while Liam snuggled against my other side. Alex stood watching his family, his heart so f
Melissa pov My labor started during the full moon, as if the goddess herself had chosen the timing. Beth sat beside my bed, little Luna sleeping peacefully in her arms, while Caleb paced nervously and Sophia prepared my birthing supplies. "I don't know how you did this twice," Melissa gritted th
Beth pov I stood at the window of my study, watching my children train in the yard below. Liam, now fifteen, moved with the fluid grace of both wolf and warrior as he sparred with his sister. Luna, thirteen, matched him move for move, her silver-touched eyes flashing as she combined human strategy
Liam pov My enhanced hearing caught the sound of soft crying coming from my mother's bathroom. I had just finished an intense training session where I had mastered a complex combat technique, making my father beam with pride. But now, his wolf stirred with concern at my mother's distress. "Mom?"
Liam pov I noticed it during afternoon training. Luna and Alexander were sparring, their movements perfectly synchronized, when something shifted in the pack bonds. My sister stumbled slightly, her silver-touched eyes widening as she met Alexander's golden gaze. The mate bond snapped into place wi
Liam pov I was patrolling the outer boundaries of Fireside and Paw pack territories when I caught the scent - vanilla and wildflowers, mixed with the metallic tang of blood. My wolf surged forward instantly, recognizing something vital even before his human mind understood. I found my mate and she
Liam pov Once Grace was stable and sleeping under Beth and Sophia's care, my rage could no longer be contained. My wolf paced beneath my skin, demanding vengeance for our mate's injuries. "We hunt," Alex said simply, recognizing the look in my son's eyes. Through our pack bonds, we felt mom's wo
I felt a tugging sensation in my mind, a familiar connection establishing itself. The entity was reaching out to me, recognizing me from years before. Not as an enemy, I realized with sudden clarity, but as something else—a kindred spirit, perhaps. Another being whose nature had been fundamentally a
Grace pov Around the chamber's perimeter sat three individuals in reclining chairs, their eyes fixed on the entity, glowing with the distinctive light of active truth-sight. They looked exhausted, faces drawn with strain. "What exactly am I looking at?" Alex asked, his voice low with tension.
Grace pov The Prisma Institute loomed before us, a sleek glass and steel structure nestled among dense pine forest. From the outside, it resembled an upscale research hospital or tech campus—all clean lines and reflective surfaces that revealed nothing of what lay within. Only the subtle security
Liam took my hands in his, his grip firm and grounding. "Listen to me. I don't care what they did or what they think. I know what's real. The woman I love, the mother of my children—that's you. Not some subject number, not some experiment. You." "But how can we trust anything?" I asked, my voice b
Grace pov I continued scrolling, finding more photographs: myself at various ages, always in clinical settings, always with that same serious expression. And then, abruptly, the images stopped. The next entry was dated 2015, when, according to the file, my memories had been "reconstructed." *Fin
Grace pov The pack house hummed with activity as preparations were underway for the coming arrangement with the Prisma Institute. In the midst of this controlled chaos, I sat alone in the small study off the main library, the flash drive Reid had given me resting on the desk before me. I had waite
Grace pov Mass panic would only strengthen the entity," Markham protested. "Spawning thousands of conspiracy theories, each one feeding it more power!" "Then I suggest you accept our terms," I replied calmly. Dr. Reid studied me for a long moment before a small, unexpected smile curved her lip
Grace pov At full strength," Markham continued, "it can reshape matter according to falsehoods. Make lies become truth, in the most literal sense. Imagine someone claiming a building doesn't exist—and then watching it fade from reality before your eyes. Or claiming someone is dead—and having them
Grace pov Blackwater Bridge Nature Preserve stretched out before them, deceptively peaceful in the midday sun. Once a thriving state park, it had been closed to the public five years earlier after funding cuts, its wooden observation platforms, and hiking trails slowly being reclaimed by nature. T